NASCAR Announces NHMS As Site Of Inaugural Truck Series Chase Event

(Press Release from New Hampshire Motor Speedway)

The UNOH 175 Camping World Truck Series race just got a whole lot more interesting thanks to an announcement by NASCAR officials today in Charlotte. The Sept. 24 UNOH 175 will be the first race in NASCAR’s new Chase for the Championship seven-race elimination format, which will also debut in the XFINITY Series this season.

“I applaud NASCAR for expanding the Chase concept to the Camping World Truck Series and the XFINITY Series,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager of NHMS. “Over the last few years, this format has proven to add to the thrill and drama of racing in the Sprint Cup Series.”

The winner of this year’s UNOH 175 will earn an automatic berth into the next round of NASCAR’s new Chase format for the Camping World Truck Series.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway hosted the first-ever Chase race in the Sprint Cup Series more than a decade ago. The new Camping World Truck Series Chase will feature eight drivers battling over seven races in three rounds. The UNOH 175 will be the first race in the Round of 8, which consists of three first-round races. All drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. The winner of the UNOH 175, should it be a Chase-eligible Camping World Truck Series driver, will get an automatic bid into the next round.

“We are ecstatic to host the Truck Series kickoff Chase event with the UNOH 175, which will undoubtedly make this event even more exciting for our fans,” McGrath said. “This playoff event is a great addition to our tripleheader lineup on Saturday, September 24, with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s F.W. Webb 100 and the Bond Auto Parts ACT Invitational America-Canadian Tour event. These series provide some of the most dramatic and exciting racing we see on our track all season and add valuable entertainment for our fans.”

In addition, NASCAR announced that the Camping World Truck Series will feature a caution clock this season. Essentially, a clock will begin counting down from 20 minutes at the start of each green flag, and should a caution flag not fly before it hits zero, a competition caution flag will be used to reset the field and allow teams to hit the pits.

“These innovations contain the elements of racing that our fans want the most,” said Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president and chief racing development officer for NASCAR. “The enhancements put a premium on in-race strategy, and will create an unprecedented level of excitement as teams make tactical decisions that could impact their spot in the Chase.”

Tickets, pre-race pit passes and camping are now on sale for all events and races on New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s event calendar. For more details and information on all events at the speedway, or to purchase tickets to July’s New Hampshire 301 or September’s SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekends, please stop by our Ticket Office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.